"A mini hamburger is not a slider," opines Adam Kuban, writer — and slider purist — for the Serious Eats blog (seriouseats.com). "A mini burger is just a reduction of the same old thing we already know, however much we may love it. A slider is at once a hamburger and, yet, something more."

According to Kuban, a slider is a "thin slip of beef cooked on a griddle with onions and pickles piled atop the patty."

Food etymologist Barry Popik (barrypopik.com) — known for his groundbreaking research on the term "hot dog" — traces the origins of the term to Navy slang from World War II. Although Popik could not find the word "slider" documented in naval archives, conversations with veterans confirmed that the Navy's notoriously greasy hamburgers were jokingly referred to as "sliders," he said during a recent phone interview from his home in Austin, Texas. A cheeseburger was a "slider with a lid."

The White Castle fast-food chain did not trademark its small burgers as "Slyders" until the 1990s. About the same time, small patties of beef, fish, seafood, you-name-it, started appearing as "sliders" on the menus of restaurants of all kinds. Chefs and patrons just couldn't resist.

If you want to make a true slider, try the basic recipe below. I've also included some options for gussying them up.

NOTE: Look for ground beef with a bit of fat in it rather than "lean" or "extra lean." Slider rolls are sold in many supermarkets. (Pepperidge Farm, for example, makes them.) If you can't find slider rolls, small dinner rolls will work in a pinch.

Yield: 8 sliders, or 4 servings

1 pound ground beef

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons butter

1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced

16 dill pickle rounds

8 slider rolls, cut in half horizontally

Ketchup or mustard, for serving (optional)

Put beef in a large bowl, season generously with salt and pepper and mix. Form into 8 thin (2-ounce) patties.

Heat a large skillet with a lid over medium heat. (If you don't have a lid, use a cookie sheet.) When hot, add butter and swirl until it melts. Add onions and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Place the beef patties on top, cover and cook for a few minutes, until the onions begin to brown. Remove the patties and onions from the skillet. Flip the patties and return to the skillet. Pile onions on top. Layer with pickles and buns (cut-side down). Cover and continue cooking until the meat is done to your liking and the buns are steamed.

Remove buns from the pan and place on a platter. Place 2 pickle slices on the bottom half of each bun. Add patty and onions. Top with the remaining half of the bun. Serve immediately, with ketchup or mustard, if desired.

SLIDERS WITH A LID: Make sliders as directed above. When you flip the patties, top each with half of a 1-ounce slice of American cheese.

GOURMET SLIDERS: Make "sliders with a lid" as directed above, substituting 4 shallots for the onion; substituting 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese for the American cheese; and omitting the pickles. Top cooked slider with a slice of ripe plum tomato and one-half piece of crisp-cooked, thick-cut bacon before adding the top of the bun.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER SLIDERS WITH SPICY MAYO: Make basic sliders as directed above, omitting the pickles and adding 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce to the meat before forming the patties. For the spicy mayo: In a bowl, mix ½ cup mayonnaise; 1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro, or to taste; and zest and juice of ½ lime. Allow spicy mayo to sit at least ½ hour for flavors to meld. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (This can be made up to 2 days in advance.) Spoon mayo on cooked slider before adding the top of the bun.

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